Foldable display device

ABSTRACT

A display device according to an embodiment comprises: an elastic member; and at least one panel from among a display panel and a touch panel which are arranged on the elastic member, wherein the elastic member includes one surface and the other surface opposite to the one surface, the elastic member includes a first area and a second area, the first area is defined as a folding area, the second area is defined as an unfolding area, the elastic member has a plurality of first grooves arranged on the one surface in the first area thereof, and the panel is arranged on the other surface of the elastic member via an adhesive layer.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS

This application is a U.S. National Stage Application under 35 U.S.C. §371 of PCT Application No. PCT/KR2020/018441, filed Dec. 16, 2020, whichclaims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2019-0177882, filedDec. 30, 2019, whose entire disclosures are hereby incorporated byreference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

An embodiment relates to a display device including a substrate for afoldable or flexible display.

BACKGROUND ART

Recently, there is an increasing demand for a flexible or foldabledisplay device capable of easily carrying various applications anddisplaying an image on a large screen when being carried.

Such a flexible or foldable display device is folded or partially bentwhen being carried or stored, and may be implemented with the displayunfolded when displaying images. Accordingly, an image display area maybe increased, and a user may easily carry the display.

After the flexible or foldable display device is folded or bent, arestoration process of unfolding the flexible display device again maybe repeated.

That is, since the flexible or foldable display device repeats foldingand unfolding operations, the substrate of the flexible display deviceis required to have a certain strength and elasticity, and cracks anddeformations should not occur in the substrate during folding andrestoring.

Meanwhile, the substrate for display which is elastic memberconstituting a flexible or foldable display device generally uses ametal substrate.

Accordingly, the substrate for display including the metal may besubjected to compressive and tensile stresses in the folding region asfolding and unfolding are repeated, and thus, cracks may occur in thefolding region, thereby reducing reliability.

Accordingly, it is possible to prevent such cracks by forming groovesfor dispersing stress in the substrate for display. However, when thesubstrate for display and a panel such as a display panel are adhered, agroove formed in the substrate for display may be transferred to thedisplay panel and visually recognized. To prevent this, an additionallayer may be disposed between the substrate for display and the displaypanel.

Accordingly, the thickness of the substrate for display may be increasedby disposing the additional layer. Accordingly, the size of the radiusof curvature (R) of the substrate for display may be reduced, and thusthe folding size may be reduced.

Therefore, there is a need for the substrate for display having a newstructure that can ensure the reliability of the substrate for displayand can be implemented with a thin thickness to have a small radius ofcurvature for folding.

DISCLOSURE Technical Problem

An embodiment is to provide a foldable display device having a thinthickness and can implement a small radius of curvature.

Technical Solution

A display device according to an embodiment an elastic member; and paneldisposed on the elastic member, wherein the panel includes at least oneof a display panel and a touch panel, wherein the elastic memberincludes one surface and the other surface opposite to the one surface,and the elastic member includes a first area and a second area. whereinthe first area is defined as a folding area, the second area is definedas an unfolding area, and a plurality of first grooves are disposed onthe one surface in the first area of the elastic member, and the panelis disposed on the other surface of the elastic member through anadhesive layer.

Advantageous Effects

The display device according to the embodiment may include a substratefor display including a groove formed on only one surface, that is, anelastic member, and the display panel may be disposed on the othersurface opposite to the one surface, that is, on the other surface inwhich the groove is not formed.

Accordingly, as the display panel is disposed on the other surface ofthe elastic member on which the pattern is not formed, visibility of thedisplay device may be improved, and thickness may be reduced.

In detail, as the display panel is disposed on the other surface of theelastic member on which the pattern is not formed, it is possible toprevent a pattern such as a groove formed in the elastic member frombeing transferred to the display panel and being visually recognized.

Also, the display panel is disposed directly through an adhesive layeron the other surface of the elastic member on which the pattern is notformed, that is, on the metal substrate. Accordingly, a separate heatdissipation layer is not disposed between the display panel and thedisplay substrate in order to dissipate heat generated from the displaypanel.

That is, since the other surface of the elastic member directly servesas a heat dissipation substrate, a separate additional substrate fordissipating heat is not required.

Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the overall thickness of thedisplay device.

In addition, as described above, a separate additional layer is notrequired to prevent a pattern such as a groove formed in the elasticmember from being transferred and visually recognized by the displaypanel. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the overall thickness ofthe display device.

Accordingly, the overall thickness of the display device is reduced.Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the weight of the display deviceand to improve the folding characteristics.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a flexible display device according toan embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an elastic member according to anembodiment.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the elastic member before folding according toan embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the elastic member after folding according toan embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the elastic member according to theembodiment.

FIG. 6 is a top view of one surface of the elastic member according tothe embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a top view of the other surface of the elastic memberaccording to the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is another top view of one surface of the elastic memberaccording to the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the display device including theelastic member according to the embodiment.

FIG. 10 is another cross-sectional view of the display device includingthe elastic member according to the embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a view for describing an example in which the device fordisplay according to an embodiment is applied.

MODES OF THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described indetail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the spiritand scope of the present invention is not limited to a part of theembodiments described, and may be implemented in various other forms,and within the spirit and scope of the present invention, one or more ofthe elements of the embodiments may be selectively combined andreplaced.

In addition, unless expressly otherwise defined and described, the termsused in the embodiments of the present invention (including technicaland scientific terms) may be construed the same meaning as commonlyunderstood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this inventionbelongs, and the terms such as those defined in commonly useddictionaries may be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistentwith their meaning in the context of the relevant art.

In addition, the terms used in the embodiments of the present inventionare for describing the embodiments and are not intended to limit thepresent invention. In this specification, the singular forms may alsoinclude the plural forms unless specifically stated in the phrase, andmay include at least one of all combinations that may be combined in A,B, and C when described in “at least one (or more) of A (and), B, andC”.

Further, in describing the elements of the embodiments of the presentinvention, the terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), and (b) may beused. These terms are only used to distinguish the elements from otherelements, and the terms are not limited to the essence, order, or orderof the elements.

In addition, when an element is described as being “connected”,“coupled”, or “connected” to another element, it may include not onlywhen the element is directly “connected” to, “coupled” to, or“connected” to other elements, but also when the element is “connected”,“coupled”, or “connected” by another element between the element andother elements.

Further, when described as being formed or disposed “on (over)” or“under (below)” of each element, the “on (over)” or “under (below)” mayinclude not only when two elements are directly connected to each other,but also when one or more other elements are formed or disposed betweentwo elements.

Furthermore, when expressed as “on (over)” or “under (below)”, it mayinclude not only the upper direction but also the lower direction basedon one element.

Hereinafter, an elastic member according to an embodiment will bedescribed with reference to drawings.

FIG. 1 is perspective views of a flexible or foldable display deviceaccording to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 1 , a flexible or foldable display device 1000according to an embodiment may include an elastic member 100, a displaypanel 200 disposed on the elastic member 100, and a touch panel 300disposed on the display panel 200.

The elastic member 100 may support the display panel 200 and the touchpanel 300. That is, the elastic member 100 may be a support substratesupporting the display panel 200 and the touch panel 300.

The elastic member 100 may include a material such as metal. Forexample, the elastic member 100 may include metal, metal alloy, plastic,a composite material (e.g., carbon fiber reinforced plastic, a magneticor conductive material, a glass fiber reinforced material, etc.),ceramic, sapphire, glass, and the like.

The elastic member 100 may be flexible or foldable. That is, the elasticmember 100 may be folded or bent in one direction. That is, the elasticmember 100 may be a substrate for display applied to a flexible displaydevice or a foldable display device.

The elastic member 100 may include at least two areas. In detail, theelastic member 100 may include a first area (or first region) 1A and asecond area (or second region) 2A.

The first area 1A may be defined as an area where the elastic member 100is folded. That is, the first area 1A may be a folding area.

In addition, the second area 2A may be defined as an area where theelastic member 100 is not folded. That is, the second area 2A may be anunfolding area.

The first area 1A and the second area 2A will be described in detailbelow.

The display panel 200 may be disposed above the elastic member 100.

The display panel 200 may include a plurality of pixels including aswitching thin film transistor, a driving thin film transistor, a powerstorage device, and an organic light-emitting diode (OLED). In case ofthe OLED, deposition may be performed at a relatively low temperature,and the OLED may be mainly applied to a flexible display device forreasons such as low power and high luminance. Here, a pixel refers to aminimum unit for displaying an image, and the display panel displays animage through a plurality of pixels.

The display panel may include a substrate, a gate line disposed on thesubstrate, a data line crossing with the gate line in isolation, and acommon power line. In general, one pixel may be defined by the gateline, the data line, and the common power line as a boundary.

The substrate may include a material having flexible properties such asa plastic film, and the display panel 200 may be implemented bydisposing an organic light-emitting diode and a pixel circuit on aflexible film.

The touch panel 300 may be disposed above the display panel 200. Thetouch panel 300 may implement a touch function in the flexible displaydevice, and the touch panel may be omitted in the foldable displaydevice that simply displays an image without the touch function.

The touch panel 300 may include a substrate and a touch electrodedisposed on the substrate. The touch electrode may sense a position ofan input device that is touched on the flexible display device using acapacitance type or a resistive film type.

The substrate of the touch panel 300 may include a material havingflexible properties such as a plastic film, and the touch panel 300 maybe implemented by disposing the touch electrode on the flexible film.

Meanwhile, the elastic member 100 and the display panel 200 may havedifferent sizes.

For example, the area of the elastic member 100 may be 90% or more to110% or less of the area of the display panel 200. In detail, the areaof the elastic member 100 may be 95% or more to 105% or less of the areaof the display panel 200. In more detail, the area of the elastic member100 may be 97% or more to 100% or less of the area of the display panel200.

When the area of the elastic member 100 is 90% or less of the area ofthe display panel 200, the supporting force of the elastic member 100 tosupport the display panel 200 or the touch panel 300 may be reduced.Accordingly, a curl may occur in the unfolding area of the elasticmember 100. Accordingly, when the user visually recognizes the screenarea, visibility may decrease. Also, when the touch is driven, a touchmalfunction may occur because the screen of the touch area is incompletedue to the curl area.

An addition, when the area of the elastic member 100 increases to 110%or more of the area of the display panel 200, a supporting force forsupporting the display panel or the touch panel by the elastic member100 may be secured. However, a bezel area of a display device includingthe substrate, the display panel, and the touch panel may increase. As aresult, the screen area effective to the user is narrowed, which may beinconvenient when using the display device.

In addition, the area of the first region 1A of the elastic member 100may be 1% or more to 30% or less of the total area of the elastic member100. In detail, the area of the first region 1A of the elastic member100 may be 5% or more to 20% or less of the total area of the elasticmember 100. An area of the first region 1A of the elastic member 100 maybe 10% or more to 15% or less of the total area of the elastic member100.

When the area of the first region 1A of the elastic member 100 is 1% orless of the total area of the elastic member 100, when folding andrestoring the elastic member is repeated, cracks may occur at theboundary of the folding area and the unfolding area. Accordingly,folding reliability of the elastic member 100 may be reduced.

In addition, when the area of the first region 1A of the elastic member100 exceeds 30% of the total area of the elastic member 100, when theelastic member is folded, curl may occur in the folding area in thedisplay panel 200. Accordingly, when the user visually recognizes thescreen area, visibility may decrease. Also, when the touch is driven, atouch malfunction may occur because the screen of the touch area isincomplete due to the curl area

Meanwhile, although not shown in the drawings, a cover window forprotecting the flexible display device may be additionally disposed onthe touch panel 300 or on the display panel 200 (when the touch panel isomitted).

As described above, the flexible display device includes the elasticmember 100.

Referring to FIG. 2 , the elastic member 100 may be bent in onedirection.

In detail, the elastic member 100 may include one surface 1S and theother surface 2S opposite to the one surface 1S. In the elastic member100, the one surface 1S or the other surface 2S may be bent to face eachother.

In the following description, as shown in FIG. 2 , it will be mainlydescribed that the one surfaces 1S are bent in a direction facing eachother in the elastic member 100.

As described above, the first area 1A and the second area 2A may bedefined in the elastic member 100. The first area 1A and the second area2A may be areas defined when the one surfaces 1S are bent in thedirection facing each other in the elastic member 100.

In detail, the elastic member 100 is bent in one direction, and theelastic member 100 may be divided into the first area 1A which is afolded area (folding area) and the second area 2A which is an unfoldedarea (unfolding area).

Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 , the elastic member 100 may include thefirst area 1A that is an area where the elastic member 100 is bent. Theelastic member 100 may include the second area 2A that is not bent andis disposed adjacent to the first area 1A.

For example, the second area 2A may be formed on the left side and theright side of the first area 1A based on the direction in which theelastic member 100 is bent. That is, the second area 2A may be disposedat both ends of the first area 1A. That is, the first area 1A may bedisposed between the second areas 2A.

The first area 1A and the second area 2A may be formed on the sameelastic member 100. That is, the first area 1A and the second area 2Amay be formed integrally with each other without being separated on thesame elastic member 100.

Sizes of the first area 1A and the second area 2A may be different fromeach other. In detail, the size of the second area 2A may be larger thanthe size of the first area 1A.

In the drawings, it is illustrated that the first area 1A is positionedin a central portion of the elastic member 100, but the embodiment isnot limited thereto. That is, the first area 1A may be positioned in oneend and an end area of the elastic member 100. That is, the first area1A may be positioned at one end and the end area of the elastic member100 such that the size of the second area 2A is asymmetric.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the elastic member for display after theelastic member is folded.

Referring to FIG. 4 , the elastic member 100 may be folded in onedirection around a folding axis. In detail, the one surface 1S may befolded in a direction facing each other along the folding axis.

As the elastic member 100 is folded in one direction, the first area 1Aand the second area 2A may be formed on the elastic member 100. That is,the folding area formed by folding the elastic member 100 in onedirection and the unfolding area positioned at both ends of the foldingarea may be formed in the elastic member 100.

The folding area may be defined as an area where a curvature R isformed, and the unfolded area may be defined as an area where thecurvature R is not formed or the curvature is close to zero.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4 , the elastic member 100 may be folded in onedirection to be formed in an order of the unfolding area, the foldingarea, and the unfolding area.

A plurality of pattern may be formed in at least one of the first area1A and the second area 2A to control and disperse stress generated whenthe elastic member 100 is folded.

FIGS. 5 to 7 are views for explaining the elastic member and displaydevice according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a view a cross-sectional view of the elastic member accordingto the embodiment. Referring to FIG. 5 , the elastic member 100 mayinclude one surface 1S and the other surface 2S opposite to the onesurface 1S.

The elastic member 100 may include any one of Stainless Steel (SUS),copper, titanium, aluminum, and alloys thereof.

A pattern may be formed on any one of the one surface 1S and the othersurface 2S of the elastic member 100. In detail, a groove-shaped patternmay be formed on any one of the one surface 1S and the other surface 2Sof the elastic member 100.

For example, referring to FIG. 5 , a plurality of grooves G may beformed on one surface 1S of the elastic member 100. In detail, theelastic member 100 may extend in a direction from the one surface 1S tothe other surface 2S, and first grooves G1 that do not penetrate throughthe other surface may be formed.

That is, the plurality of first grooves G1 formed in the elastic member100 may be formed to partially penetrate the elastic member 100. Thatis, the first groove G1 may pass through one surface 15 of the elasticmember 100 and not penetrate the other surface 2S. The groove G may beformed to have a depth smaller than the thickness T of the elasticmember 100.

For example, the total thickness of the elastic member 100 may be about1 mm. In detail, the thickness of the elastic member 100 may be 0.05 mmto 1.5 mm. When the thickness of the elastic member 100 is less than0.05 mm, the strength of the elastic member 100 may be reduced, and whenthe thickness of the elastic member 100 exceeds 1.5 mm, foldedproperties of the elastic member 100 may be reduced.

In this case, the first groove G1 may be formed to have a depth smallerthan the thickness of the elastic member 100 having the thickness range.

For example, the depth of the first groove G1 may be 1/50 to ⅔ of thethickness of the elastic member 100.

When the depth of the first groove G1 is less than 1/50 of the thicknessof the elastic member, the stress cannot be sufficiently distributed bythe groove G when the display device is folded. Accordingly, the foldingcharacteristic of the display device may be reduced.

In addition, when the depth of the first groove G1 exceeds ⅔ of thethickness of the elastic member, the overall stress of the elasticmember 100 becomes non-uniform due to the groove G. Accordingly, warpagemay occur in the elastic member.

The first groove G1 formed in the elastic member 100 may distribute thestress caused by the folding when the elastic member is folded orrestored. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent deformation of theelastic member due to stress generated when the elastic member is foldedor restored.

Meanwhile, the first groove G1 may be filled with a resin material 150.In detail, a resin material 150 such as silicone may be filled in thefirst groove G1 formed in the elastic member 100.

The resin material may be disposed only inside the first groove G1.Alternatively, the resin material may be disposed on one surface 1S ofthe elastic member 100 while filling the first groove G1 and may bedisposed as a resin layer.

The resin material may prevent foreign substances from being introducedinto the groove formed in the elastic member, and may smooth the surfaceof the elastic member 100 in which the groove is formed. In addition,since the shape of the groove can be maintained, it is possible toprevent reduction in folding characteristics due to shape deformation.

Hereinafter, an elastic member according to an embodiment will bedescribed in detail with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8 .

FIGS. 6 and 7 are views showing top views of one surface and the othersurface of the elastic member according to the embodiment.

That is, FIG. 6 is a view showing a top view of one surface 1S of theelastic member, which is the outer surface of the folding, when theelastic member 100 is folded. In addition, FIG. 7 is a view showing atop view of the other surface 2S of the elastic member, which is theinner surface of the folding, when the elastic member 100 is folded.

Referring to FIG. 6 , a plurality of grooves formed by partially etchingthe elastic member 100 may be formed in the elastic member. In detail, afirst groove G1 formed by partially penetrating the elastic member 100is formed on one surface 1S of the elastic member 100. Accordingly, aplurality of grooves may be formed in the elastic member as a whole.

In detail, a first groove G1 may be formed in the first area 1A of theelastic member 100. In detail, a plurality of first grooves G1 may beformed in the first area 1A of the elastic member 100 to be spaced apartfrom each other. 6 shows only the three first grooves G1 formed in thefirst area 1A, but this is for convenience of description, four or morefirst grooves G1 may be formed in the first area 1A.

The plurality of first grooves G1 formed in the first area 1A serves todistribute stress generated when the first area is folded. In detail,the first area. 1A of the elastic member may be deformed or damaged dueto the compressive stress generated when the elastic member 100 isfolded.

Accordingly, by forming the first groove G1 in the first area 1A, it ispossible to prevent stress from being concentrated in a specific regionof the first area 1A. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent damage tothe elastic member by the compressive stress generated when the elasticmember 100 is folded.

The first groove G1 may be formed in various sizes according to thedesired radius of curvature and reliability. In detail, the first grooveG1 may be formed to have a short directional width of 10 μm to 500 μmand a long direction width of 100 μm to 10000 μm, depending on thedesired folding characteristics, that is, the size of the radius ofcurvature and reliability.

Here, the short directional width may be defined as the width of theopening surface of the first groove G1 formed on one surface 1S of theelastic member. In addition, the long direction width may be defined asa length of the first groove G1 on one surface 1S of the elastic member.

The first grooves G1 may be formed in a regular pattern in the firstarea 1A, or the first grooves G1 may be formed in an irregular patternin the first area 1A.

The first groove G1 may be formed to have a curved surface. In detail,the first groove G1 may be formed in a shape having a curved surface,such as an elliptical shape, a hemispherical shape, or a circular shape.

However, the embodiment is not limited thereto, and the first groove G1may be formed in a polygonal shape such as a triangle or a square.

Meanwhile, the first groove G1 may be filled with a resin material 150.In detail, a resin material 150 such as silicone may be filled in thefirst groove G1 formed on one surface 1S of the elastic member 100.

Referring to FIG. 7 , a separate groove pattern may not be formed on theother surface 2S of the elastic member 100. In detail, the other surface2S of the elastic member 100 may be formed as a flat surface.

That is, the other surface 2S of the elastic member 100 may be exposedto the outside. That is, the other surface 2S of the elastic member 100including the metal is exposed to the outside, and the display paneland/or the touch panel coupled to the elastic member may be disposed indirect contact with the other surface 2S of the elastic member 100through an adhesive layer.

Meanwhile, the first area 1A and the second area 2A may be dividedaccording to whether or not a hinge part is formed. That is, the foldingarea and the unfolding area may be divided according to whether or notthe hinge part is formed.

In detail, a plurality of hinge parts may be formed in the first area1A, and no hinge parts may be formed in the second area 2A.

That is, the folding region may be defined as a region in which thehinge part HN is formed.

The hinge part HN may be defined as a point at which folding starts inthe elastic member 100. That is, the elastic member may start foldingfrom the hinge parts at both ends of the plurality of hinge parts.

The hinge part HN may include a plurality of hinge parts according tothe folding shape of the elastic member 100. The hinge part HN may beformed at both ends of the elastic member 100 overlapping the shortdirection in which the first grooves G1 are formed based on the shortdirection length of the elastic member 100 in the width direction.

Accordingly, when the elastic member 100 is folded by the hinge part HN.the folding area can be easily folded.

The hinge part HN may be formed through one surface and the othersurface of the short direction area among the end areas of the elasticmember 100. That is, the hinge part HN may be defined as a hole in whichboth end areas in the short direction among the end areas of the elasticmember 100 are penetrated.

The shape of the hinge part HN may be the same as or different from theshape and size of the first groove. For example, the hinge part may beformed while having a curved surface. In detail, the hinge part may beformed in a shape having a curved surface, such as an elliptical shape,a hemispherical shape, or a circular shape.

However, the embodiment is not limited thereto, and the hinge portionmay be formed in a polygonal shape such as a triangle or a quadrangle oran oval shape.

Meanwhile, referring to FIG. 8 , grooves may be formed in the entirearea of the elastic member.

FIG. 8 is another cross-sectional view of the elastic member accordingto the first embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 8 , grooves may be formed in both the first area 1Aand the second area 2A in the elastic member. In detail, a second grooveG2 may also be formed in the second area 2A defined as an unfoldingarea. That is, holes may be formed in the entire area of the elasticmember.

A plurality of second grooves G2 spaced apart from each other may beformed in the second area 2A. The groove G2 may be formed through theelastic member 100. In detail, the second groove G2 may be formedthrough one surface 1S of the elastic member and not through the othersurface 2S.

Meanwhile, the second groove G2 may also be filled with a resin material150. In detail, a resin material such as silicone may be filled insidethe second groove G2 formed on one surface 1S of the elastic member.

Due to the second groove G2 formed in the second area 2A, a differencein deformation between the first area 1A and the second area 2Aaccording to heat may be reduced

In detail, by forming grooves in both the first area 1A and the secondarea 2A, the difference between the deformation due to heat in the firstarea 1A and the deformation due to heat in the second area 2A may bereduced. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the elastic member frombeing bent or distorted.

The second groove G2 may be formed in various sizes according to thedesired radius of curvature and reliability. In detail, the secondgroove G2 may be formed to have a short directional width of 10 μm to500 μm and a long direction width of 100 μm to 10000 μm, depending onthe desired folding characteristics, that is, the size of the radius ofcurvature and reliability.

The second grooves G2 may be formed in a regular pattern in the secondarea 2A, or the second grooves G2 may be formed in an irregular patternin the second area 2A.

The second groove G2 may be formed to have a curved surface. In detail,the second groove G2 may be formed in a shape having a curved surface,such as an elliptical shape, a hemispherical shape, or a circular shape.

However, the embodiment is not limited thereto, and the second groove G2may be formed in a polygonal shape such as a triangle or a square.

Meanwhile, the second grooves G2 disposed in the second area 2A may havedifferent densities for each area.

In detail, as the distance from the folding axis of the elastic member100 increases, that is, toward the outer region of the elastic member,the density of the second groove G2 may decrease.

In detail, the size of the second groove G2 may gradually decrease as itmoves away from the folding axis of the elastic member 100.

Alternatively, as the second groove G2 moves away from the folding axisof the elastic member 100, the interval between the adjacent secondgrooves G2 may gradually increase.

That is, the density of the second groove G2 formed in the second area2A, which is the unfolding region, may decrease as the distance from thefolding axis increases.

Accordingly, stress generated when the elastic member 100 is folded andrestored can be effectively dispersed from the folding axis of theelastic member 100 toward the outer portion. Accordingly, thereliability of the elastic member may be improved.

Hereinafter, a display device including the aforementioned elasticmember 100 and the display panel 200 disposed on the elastic member 100will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10 .

Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10 , the display device according to theembodiment includes an elastic member 100 and a display panel 200disposed on the elastic member 100.

The display panel 200 may be disposed on the other surface of theelastic member 100. That is, the display panel 200 may be disposed onthe other surface of the elastic member on which the grooves are notformed.

Accordingly, the display panel 200 may be disposed on the other surfaceof the flat elastic member 100 on which a groove-shaped pattern is notformed among one surface and the other surfaces of the elastic member100.

The elastic member 100 and the display panel 200 may be adhered to eachother through an adhesive layer bonding them.

Meanwhile, the touch panel 300 may be further disposed on the elasticmember 100, and at least one of the display panel 200 and the touchpanel 300 may be disposed on the elastic member 100.

As the display panel 200 is disposed on the other surface of the elasticmember 100 on which the pattern is not formed, visibility of the displaydevice may be improved and the thickness may be reduced.

In detail, as the display panel is disposed on the other surface of theelastic member on which the pattern is not formed, it is possible toprevent a pattern such as a groove formed in the elastic member frombeing transferred to the display panel and being visually recognized.

Also, the display panel is disposed directly through an adhesive layeron the other surface of the elastic member on which the pattern is notformed, that is, on the metal substrate. Accordingly, a separate heatdissipation layer is not disposed between the display panel and thedisplay substrate in order to dissipate heat generated from the displaypanel.

That is, since the other surface of the elastic member directly servesas a heat dissipation substrate, a separate additional substrate fordissipating heat is not required.

Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the overall thickness of thedisplay device.

In addition, as described above, a separate additional layer is notrequired to prevent a pattern such as a groove formed in the elasticmember from being transferred and visually recognized by the displaypanel. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the overall thickness ofthe display device.

Accordingly, the overall thickness of the display device is reduced.Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the weight of the display deviceand to improve the folding characteristics

FIG. 11 is a view for describing an example in which a elastic memberaccording to embodiments is applied.

Referring to FIG. 11 , the elastic member according to the embodimentsmay be applied to a flexible display device that displays a display.

For example, the elastic member according to the embodiments may beapplied to a flexible display device such as a mobile phone or a tablet.

Such the elastic member may be applied to flexible display devices suchas a mobile phone, a tablet, and the like that are flexible, bent orfolded.

The elastic member is applied to the flexible display devices such asthe mobile phone, the tablet, and the like that are flexible, bent orfolded and may improve the reliability of the flexible display device byimproving the folding reliability in the display device that isrepeatedly folded or restored.

The characteristics, structures, effects, and the like described in theabove-described embodiments are included in at least one embodiment ofthe present invention, but are not limited to only one embodiment.Furthermore, the characteristic, structure, and effect illustrated ineach embodiment may be combined or modified for other embodiments by aperson skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is to be understood that suchcombination and modification are included in the scope of the presentinvention.

In addition, embodiments are mostly described above, but the embodimentsare merely examples and do not limit the present invention, and a personskilled in the art may appreciate that several variations andapplications not presented above may be made without departing from theessential characteristic of embodiments. For example, each componentspecifically represented in the embodiments may be varied. In addition,it should be construed that differences related to such a variation andsuch an application are included in the scope of the present inventiondefined in the following claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A display device comprising: elasticmember; and a panel disposed on the elastic member, wherein the panelincludes at least one of a display panel and a touch panel, wherein theelastic member includes a first region and a second region, wherein thefirst region is disposed between the second regions, wherein a pluralityof first patterns formed on the elastic member are disposed in the firstregion of the elastic member, and wherein a resin material is disposedinside the first pattern.
 2. The display device of claim 1, wherein, aresin layer is disposed on the elastic member, wherein the resin layeris disposed while filling the first pattern.
 3. The display device ofclaim 1, wherein the elastic member includes any one of Stainless Steel,copper, titanium, aluminum, and alloys thereof.
 4. The display device ofclaim 1, wherein the elastic member further includes a hinge portiondisposed in the first region.
 5. The display device of claim 4, whereinthe hinge portion is defined as a hole in which both end regions inshort direction of the elastic member are penetrated.
 6. The displaydevice of claim 1, wherein the elastic member and the panel havedifferent sizes.
 7. The display device of claim 6, wherein an area ofthe elastic member is 90% to 110% of an area of the panel.
 8. Thedisplay device of claim 1, wherein an area of the first region is 1% to30% of a total area of the elastic member.
 9. The display device ofclaim 1, further comprising a cover window disposed on the panel. 10.The display device of claim 1, wherein the elastic member includes onesurface and another surface opposite to the one surface, wherein thepanel is disposed on the other surface of the elastic member through anadhesive layer.
 11. A display device comprising: elastic member; and apanel disposed on the elastic member, wherein the panel includes atleast one of a display panel and a touch panel, wherein the elasticmember includes a first region and a second region, wherein the firstregion is disposed between the second regions, wherein a plurality offirst patterns formed on the elastic member are disposed in the firstregion of the elastic member, wherein a plurality of second patterns isdisposed in the second region of the elastic member, and wherein adensity of the second patterns decreases as it moves away rom a foldingaxis.
 12. The display device of claim 11, wherein a resin layer isdisposed on the elastic member, wherein the resin layer is disposedwhile filling the first and second patterns.
 13. The display device ofclaim 11, wherein an interval between the second patterns increase asthe distance from the folding axis increases.
 14. The display device ofclaim 11, wherein at least one of the first pattern and the secondpattern is formed to have a short directional width of 10 μm to 500 μmand a long direction width of 100 μm to 10,000 μm.
 15. The displaydevice of claim 11, wherein the size of the second patterns graduallydecreases as it moves away from the folding axis of the elastic member.16. The display device of claim 11, wherein the elastic member includesone surface and another surface opposite to the one surface, wherein thepanel is disposed on the other surface of the elastic member through anadhesive layer.
 17. The display device of claim 11, wherein a resinmaterial is disposed inside the first pattern.
 18. The display device ofclaim 11, wherein the elastic member includes any one of StainlessSteel, copper, titanium, aluminum, and alloys thereof.
 19. The displaydevice of claim 11, wherein the elastic member further includes a hingeportion disposed in the first region.
 20. The display device of claim19, wherein the hinge portion is defined as a hole in which both endregions in short direction of the elastic member are penetrated.
 21. Thedisplay device of claim 11, wherein the elastic member and the panelhave different sizes.
 22. The display device of claim 21, wherein anarea of the elastic member is 90% to 110% of an area of the panel. 23.The display device of claim 11, wherein an area of the first region is1% to 30% of a total area of the elastic member.
 24. The display deviceof claim 11, further comprising a cover window disposed on the panel.